After being overlooked at schools' level for the Coláiste Chríost Rí team, he subsequently won a Sigerson Cup title in 1995 as a student at University College Cork.
As a member of the team over the following six seasons, McCarthy won two Munster Championship medals and a National Football League title.
After taking a break from inter-county activity he managed the Carbery Rangers club to their inaugural County Championship title in 2016.
[8] In his final season in charge, McCarthy was found to be in breach of COVID-19 restrictions by holding an unauthorised training session on Youghal beach and was handed a 12-week suspension by the GAA's Central Hearings Committee.
[9] McCarthy was educated at Coláiste Chríost Rí before completing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and French at University College Cork.